BY STEVEN ENATU
NGORA
Ngora Freda Carr hospital is on a fundraising drive to set up a neonatal ward and refurbish the historical health facility in order to meet the needs of its clients.
This is being done ahead of a mega event as the facility celebrates its 100 years [centenary] anniversary in November this year.
The drive that started today with a 13-kilometer run from Mukura and flagged off by the state Minister for works and transport, Mr. Musa Ecweru is aimed at raising funds to construct the much-needed neonatal babies.
The hospital under the church of Uganda dates back to 1922 and urgently requires face-lifting.
Dr. Amos Odita, the Medical director of Ngora Freda Carr Hospital says the facility serves a catchment population of over 100,000 people and requires a neonatal clinic to save the newly born babies.
He said the hospital has improvised space within the post natal ward where mothers with premature babies mature their babies locally in a system he termed, “Kangaroo” way for developing the baby.
“This is the greatest challenge we have and we need to save our children and also prevent maternal death and the neonatal unit will be a center of excellence to improve newborn health and maternal outcome” Dr Odita said.
The ward shall be a gift to Freda who died as a child when his parents came for missionary work in Africa.
According to the budget accessed by this reporter, the hospital requires Shs 303,000,000 to be established and that the foundation is expected to be set before the 27 November when the centenary celebration shall be held.
Mr Ecweru promised to bring a specialist from the ministry of health to assess the status of the hospital before 27 November and also emphasised that the foundation must be up before the centenary celebrations.
“We should start with what we have, let’s not wait for the 27 November. This hospital will not die, we shall do our best to restore it to its past glory. We shall even reach to the British High commission to remind them about the current status of the facility that they established in 1922,” Mr Ecweru said.
The minister pledged Shs 7 million and made cash contribution of Shs 1 million towards the construction of the facility before later buying a bull at Shs 1 million during the fundraising.
Ms Stella Isodo the woman MP Ngora District expressed concern over the state of a mother grooming a premature baby in a kangaroo style.
“I saw this and as a leader, it has awakened me and we must do a lot to save our people by building the neonatal facility at this hospital,” she said.
She explained that Ngora District does not have a district hospital yet it is a government policy and therefore Ngora Freda Carr should be revamped and equipped to serve the community in Ngora.
“We are supposed to even have health center IIIs in every Sub County, In Ngora we have 11 Sub Counties but only 5 have health center IIIs,” she noted.
Mr. Mike Odongo Lo’ Asio the LCV chairperson for Ngora appealed to the well-wishers to support the refurbishment and facelift of the facility.
About Ngora Hospital
The hospital is run as part of the Church of Uganda, Kumi Diocese and was founded in 1922 as a small medical mission with a donation from Ernest Carr in memory of his daughter Freda who had died in East Africa.
The 180-bed hospital with outpatient (OPD) and inpatient services, as well as general maternity services was established by Church Missionary Society-England Missionaries
Ngora Hospital was at its glory and peak during the 1980s when the Surgeons’ Association, and Flying Doctors’ service, used to operate from the hospital which had its own airstrip.
The mission of this rural private ‘Not for Profit’ Hospital is: “To provide basic and affordable quality health care services to the poor population and proclamation of the Word of God.”
